Absence
by mywholelifeismusic
Summary: What if you could see exactly what your life would be like if one specific person never existed? What will happen when Mordecai and Rigby get their hands on a Machine that shows just that? (I'm sorry that my summary sucks)
1. Discovery

**Ok, there are a few things I wanna clear up here.**

**1. I don't own the Regular Show, but I wish I did**

**2. This is going to be a total Regular show account. Yes, I do support Morby although this is not a Morby story. **

**3. This is my first serious fic (that I'm publishing). I'm open to any advice that you were willing to give, so please review!**

**4. I will consider suggestions for the story, but I'm not promising anything. If I do let this story end up with a a lot of chapters, it'll be more likely.**

**5. Rated T for safety, planned to be approximately 5 chapters.**

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Chapter 1:Discovery

The sun was out, the sky was clear, and the grass was green. Yes, it was another ideal day at the park. Everyone was out enjoying the lovely day, if not doing their duties as groundskeepers. Well, almost everybody..

"Dude! Kick him harder! Harder! Stop mashing the buttons!" Mordecai and Rigby had just bought a brand new video game, and so far Rigby's turn wasn't going too well. Mordecai tried to instruct him on how to play, but it was futile. The raccoon wasn't getting anywhere.

"I'm trying dude! Why do they make these games so hard?" Rigby responded, aggravated. He watched his player fall off the screen. "Ugh that's so unfair! I never touched the snail. He was like, 30 feet away! Gimme another turn dude," he begged.

Mordecai reacted by snatching the controller away. "Sorry man. You had your chance." Mordecai couldn't help but to wonder how the smaller of the duo managed to be so terrible at video games. It was like he was actually trying to fail. It wasn't even that funny anymore, just pathetic. Maybe he would give Rigby gaming lessons? Ha, maybe he could even charge Rigby. He would totally fall for something like that! He was already planning out the pitch he'd give Rigby when his thoughts were interrupted.

"WHAT ARE YOU TWO SLACKERS DOING PLAYING VIDEO GAMES? I LITERALLY GAVE YOU YOUR JOBS 10 MINUTES AGO". That wasn't good.

A familiar shade of crimson was apparent on Benson's face as he barreled through the door screaming.

"IF I DON'T SEE YOU OUTSIDE CLEANING THE FOUNTAIN WITHIN THE NEXT 5 MINUTES, _YOU'RE FIRED_!" He shouted.

Before Rigby could complain, Mordecai grabbed him and sprinted out the door. "Sorry Benson," he apologized on his way out. He didn't wanna piss him off on payday, and the best way to do that was to keep Rigby quiet and focus on the work for once.

Mordecai didn't stop running until he reached the fountain, where the rags and hose were already waiting for them. Finally he dropped Rigby, allowing him to speak.

"Dude! Why do we put up with that! If you let me, I could totally show him who's boss. I'd be all like 'why don't you get back to work, or YOU'RE fired!' He wouldn't even know what happened" Rigby whined.

"Uh bro, I don't know about you, but I actually wanna get paid today," Mordecai told him, already starting to spray water on the fountain "So if you're interested in actually being able to afford new games and stuff, I suggest you keep your mouth shut and grab a rag."

"Ughhh, fineee," Rigby grumbled, pouting. He started grudgingly wiping off the edges of the fountain. Just then a golf cart carrying a human and a ghost whizzed by, narrowly missing the Raccoon.

"Having fun with your cleaning, ladies?" Taunted Muscleman, doing donuts around the fountain. They hated that voice so much. Mordecai and Rigby exchanged annoyed looks and silently chose not to respond to the chubby, emerald-skinned human. High Five Ghost, Muscleman's partner couldn't hold the golf cart donuts any longer and they drove off. "Later Grandmas," Muscleman shouted back to the two as the cart kicked up a dust cloud on them.

"Man, this totally blows," said Mordecai, coughing. "What a jerk."

"Yeah. We'll show him, we'll clean the fountain faster and better than anyone ever!" Rigby plotted, now clearly more motivated than before. Mordecai chuckled at where his inspiration came from, but silently thanked Muscleman and HFG, as he wouldn't have to deal with Rigby's laziness for at least a bit. 20 minutes later they were done, a third of the time it usually took.

"Dude, that was awesome!" Rigby congratulated himself, wiping some sweat off his forehead. "We totally deserve a break." Mordecai nodded in agreement. "Let's hit up the coffee shop!" Rigby said.

"Naw man, it's not Margaret's shift until two thirty," Mordecai responded "Let's wait on that. Wanna go see what's up with Skips?" The Yeti was always working on something interesting and mystical, and his house was air conditioned. It was getting rather hot out and Mordecai knew that it was worst at noon. They had to get inside, and soon.

"Yeah, I guess," Rigby said. They set out in the direction of Skips' house.

* * *

"Hey Skips," the duo greeted him in unison, completely disregarding common courtesy and barging through the door. Skips sighed.

"Hi guys, shouldn't you be working?" He asked in his raspy and indifferent tone, continuing his current project.

"Naw, we finished early. We cleaned that fountain in like record time. It was awesome," Rigby explained. "Whatcha working on?" He inquired, flicking his head towards the computer Skips appeared to be stabbing with a screwdriver.

"Well, if you really must know, I'm turning this old thing into a Theoretical Absence Device." He met their blank stared and sighed again. "It shows you what your life would be like if a certain person of your choosing didn't exist. I can't even use a computer without contracting a Doom Ma Geddon virus, so I thought this would be a good use of the thing."

"Dude, that's so awesome! Can we try?" Requested Mordecai.

"Well, it is all ready to be tested..." Skips thought for a second. "And you're sure that you finished your work?" The two nodded furiously. "Ok, you can give it a g-"

"FIRST DIBS!" Shouted Mordecai

"Aw man!" Rigby pouted for a second, but was too excited by the mysterious machine to hold onto the frustration. The blue jay and raccoon both ran over to the machine.

"Ok, how does it work? Is it like a program or something?" Mordecai asked, curiously jabbing random keys.

"A what? No you just put your finger in one of these," Skips said pointed to some different-sized holes in the monitor "then you type the name of the person you wanna see your life devoid of," he explained.

"Ok, cool." Mordecai considered who he wanted to remove from his life, but knew the obvious answer. He stuck his finger into one of the larger holes in the monitor and began to type: RIGBY.

"Hey!" Rigby exclaimed, insulted.

"Shut up dude, it's starting." Mordecai turned to Skips "so does a video popped up on the screen or wh-"

Suddenly every thing around him went blank. "SKIPS!" Mordecai looked around scared. Suddenly, the room appeared back, as if it were being painted. First a sketched outline of the room was drawn on. Next, splashes of color filled the room, and Mordecai was back with Skips. But where was Rigby? Wait..who?

"Mordecai, are you ok?" Asked Skips.

Mordecai shook his head, feeling slightly dazed. He recalled that he had just arrived at the yeti's residence, intent on showing him something important. "Sorry Skips, I just had a weird daydream where we were right here with some weird little raccoon dude. I'm fine now. Can't even remember what the little guy's name was."

"So what were you gonna tell me?" Skips had work to do, he needed Mordecai to just tell him what he was so nervous about and be done with it.

"Oh yeah, right." He pulled a small velvet box out of his pocket and opened it, revealing a diamond ring "I'm gonna propose to her tonight!"

Skips gasped.


	2. Alone

**So I'm back with more! This is a longer chapter, breaking 2k words. Hope you enjoy!**

**Bits of this chapter were inspired by parts of "Hear Me" by Imagine Dragons**

**Dont forgot to review and follow!**

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Chapter 2:Alone

Mordecai was uncomfortable. He shifted around in his seat a little and glanced across the table at his date. When she met his stare, he felt even more uncomfortable and stared down at his glass of wine while fiddling with his tie. He glanced around the room, examining the decor. This was quite a fancy restaurant, and the hum of idle conversation buzzed around the room. He looked back to the gorgeous, lacy dress worn by the even more gorgeous woman at the other end of the table. He squirmed around in his seat again.

Across the table Margaret could barely contain her giggles. She loved how Mordecai got so anxious when he was planning something big. It was absolutely adorable. She knew exactly what he was going to be asking her tonight. He was just kinda readable like that. Still, she couldn't help but to feel apprehensive of what was coming.

She decided to soothe herself with thoughts of the first time she had met Mordecai. It was a sunny afternoon in late summer. He had wandered into the coffee shop alone, looking exhausted from all the hard work he had done at the park. She thought he was just so sexy, with his lean body and sweat dripping off his face from hard work. She had told her co-worker Eileen that she would cover him.

When she walked up to him, she could see the blue jays jaw drop. He was obviously smitten with her already.

"Hey there, could I take your order?" Margaret had asked, trying to make her voice sound flirtatious and girly. Mordecai just stared back at her. "Um, hello?" She tried to snap him out of his trance.

"O-oh, sorry," he had sounded nervous, even more so than today, here in the present. "I-I'll have a coffee. Black, no sugar."

"Ooh, strong," she had purred seductively. He couldn't figure out if she was referring to the coffee or him. "The name's Margaret, by the way," she told him, leaning in closer to him.

Mordecai was caught off guard by her interest in him. He took a few seconds to find his words. "Mines M-Mordecai," he stuttered.

"Nice to meet you M-Mordecai," she teased, laughing. As she walked away to grab his coffee she winked to him. She remembered how when she looked over her shoulder to him, he had a smile on his face. Yet he had still looked so _lonely_. That was what drove her to ask him out, the way he looked like he needed someone in his life, and that was why this relationship had even begun. Back then, she didn't understand just how lonely the man sipping his wine in front of her really was. The sounds of two glasses clinking together for a celebratory toast brought her back to now, 14 months later. She had waited awhile for this.

"So Mordecai, how has work bee-" she began, trying to break the awkward silence.

"Margaret, will you marry me?" Mordecai blurted out at her.

She sat there, shocked. She knew he was gonna ask, but she didn't expect this at all.

Mordecai took a deep breath and composed himself. He kneeled down on one knee and tried to ask the question again, but was cut off by a passionate kiss. "Yes! Yes! Of course I will, Mordecai!"

The two settled back into their seats. The other patrons had hardly noticed what had happened moments earlier, too absorbed in their own little worlds to care. Mordecai had expected at least some applause, but this was just fine by him. As Margaret started to excitedly plan out the wedding, he settled into his seat and smiled, allowing his tensed up muscles to relax. Everything was going to work out just how he wanted.

* * *

Mordecai sighed as he ascended the stairs leading to his room. He had really wanted to come inside at Margaret's after dropping her off earlier, but, as he had explained, he had tons of work to do. He felt bad for shutting her down, but he knew she understood. He was lucky to have someone who got him the way she did.

Mordecai swung open the door to his room and flicked on the light switch. He couldn't help but to realize how huge and barren it actually was in there. He should've had a roommate, but he applied for his job as groundskeeper here alone and there weren't many other people interested in working here, especially with his boss Benson's temper.

His only other co-workers were a fat human and a ghost who gave out high fives all the time. He didn't know much about them, other than that they were infamous for wreaking all kinds of havoc around the park. They caused these unrealistic scenarios that always dragged him in somehow, such as the time they unleashed Destroyer of Worlds, or the time that this giant head's son tried to get revenge on them by industrializing the park. Benson was always threatening to fire them and screaming at them.

Of course there was also Skips the immortal yeti, but he didn't technically work at the park. He was the closest thing Mordecai had to a friend, but he didn't seem to care much for the avian.

Mordecai remembered the moustached man who lived a floor above him. That was Pops, the park owner's son. He was pretty weird though, and Mordecai didn't hang around him too much.

All these thoughts floated around Mordecai's brain without direction. He had no outlet, no one to share them with. He frowned to himself. A gust of air wafted through the open across the room. The shivers he felt brought him back to earth.

The jay made his way over to the empty side of the room and shut the window. He then plopped down onto his bed and sighed. He tried to fall asleep, but couldn't. The bed was lumpy and hard, the room was too chilly, and he felt somehow empty. He needed to talk to someone.

Mordecai grabbed his cell off of the dresser and started to scroll through his contacts. He quickly found who he was looking for. After all, it wasn't hard with so few people to pick from. He clicked dial.

"Hello?" The voice on the other end was muffled.

"Hey Margaret! What's up?" Mordecai responded.

"Oh Mordecai! It's really late...but I just can't sleep, I'm so excited!" The tone of her voice proved the statement to be true. "Ok, so first of all, we've GOT to have this wedding in May..." As she detailed everything she wanted for the wedding, Mordecai drifted in and out of focus. He had kinda wanted to do some talking himself, but he was perfectly content listening instead. He loved the sound of her voice. He soon found himself smiling.

"...and Eileen's going to look so pretty in her maid of honor dress! Ooh I just can't wait to tell her tomorrow! Have you chosen your best man yet?" She asked. Only when silence awaited her did she realize what she had just asked. She slapped her forehead.

"Look Mordecai, I'm sorry. I know you're sensitive about that stuff," she sympathized "Let's just worry about it another time, ok?" More silence. "Ok Mordecai?" She asked again, this time a little more forcefully.

"Yeah, sure." With that, he hung up. He knew he would feel bad tomorrow and apologize, and everything would be fine and dandy again. But he knew that he still wouldn't be able to fall asleep, and he had to get out of this place. The room which had before seemed so empty and spacious now seemed to suffocate him to no end. He grabbed a hoodie and dashed out of the house.

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Mordecai didn't know where his legs were taking him yet, but the open air felt refreshing. He enjoyed the stroll as much as he could, and the starlight that illuminated his path was beautiful, like a sea of candles shining down on him. By the time he brought himself to a stop, his mind was clear.

He instantly recognized where he was. This was his favorite spot in the park. The river that ran through the park flowed by, and a meadow lay just across. On days when he was feeling adventurous, he'd wade through the river and take a walk among the candy-colored flowers that littered the meadow. He always managed to spot small critters here and there. But when he came to this place to think, he sat on the bridge. The bridge here was stone, and half of it was gone, as if a giant had simply decided that it was unnecessary and torn it away from its spot. Defying all laws of physics, the bridge stayed perfectly upright as if the other half were still present. It was a perfect perch for the blue jay.

This location was very secluded. He had discovered it when he was chopping invasive vines off the trees with rig-wait, what? He didn't work with anyone else, he reminded himself. No one else could have been there. Mordecai sighed. Maybe that was the problem. He just wanted someone to talk to.

As he walked over and dangled his legs off the ledgeof the bridge, he couldn't help but to ask himself, "What's wrong with me?"

Mordecai had everything he had ever wanted. A stable job, a beautiful fiancé, and an awesome personality (according to Margaret, at least). So why was it that every time he was becoming close with a friend, he pushed them away. He felt so alone, like something-or someone-was _missing_ from his life. He couldn't shake that feeling. He could never know how to fill that hole he felt. Somehow, he knew that in this life, it would just be something he would have to live with. He didn't know if he'd ever be happy. As he reached this realization he felt something change.

Cold wind started to blow in the distance, but the lights were fading. Mordecai gazed into the sky. Where swirls of violet and navy blue had been, dotted with twinkling stars, now had become bland white with little black dots. One by one the dots began to disappear. The wind sounded louder now, and it was beginning to drown everything out.

Mordecai looked back to the ground and noticed that the bridge and meadow were now merely sketches, and it was as if a huge invisible eraser was eliminating the outlines. Soon there was nothing.

"Margaret!" Mordecai cried out "Margaret! Someone help me!"

Then, a tidal wave of memories came flooding back. He remembered Rigby. _Oh my god, where is he, how could I forget him all this time? _Mordecai wondered, a little panicked at first. As more recent memories came back, he realized how odd his old life was compared to his life with Margaret. He also realized how much more carefree and cheerful it was.

Suddenly, he felt his last memory come back to him. He had just pieced together everything that happened to him, when he returned to his body in the chair, finger still stuck in the monitor. To him, it was as if a bucket of multicolored paint was thrown against a wall and literally just created the scene.

"Dude, duuudeeee!" Rigby was shaking him "Did it work? You were just sitting there, drooling," he said. He snickered to himself.

Mordecai didn't respond for a second. Instead, he pulled his finger out of the hole on the monitor, stood up, and passed out.

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**Ok, so everyone always seems to feel like Mordecai would be so much better off without Rigby, but I'm somehow cynical and depressing enough to make his life even worse㈶0**

**Sorry my last paragraph was abrupt and sucked.**

**What was bad or needs more work? What was good? Review!**

**Just wanted to let you guys know that I won't be able to update this quickly when school starts up next week (I know I know, everyone says that. But it's true!) I'll be sure to put in my best effort though. **

**Special shout out to the two followers! You guys are my inspiration (even though its literally only two people)**


	3. Appreciated

**Ok guys, more of the story! This chapter's very short, and kinda serves as an interval, and I'm really sorry for the inconsistency in length. I hate it as much as you. **

**One thing that I gotta make clear is that this is NOT a Morby, but there will be fluffy adorable touchy-feely bits in this chapter, so sorry if you don't like it or feel uncomfortable. I try to use humor to counter it out, but I promise it won't be like this in later chapters as much. You can expect some action in next chapter too! So, with that…**

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Chapter 3:Appreciated

"...your fault Skips, so you better wake him up Godammit!"

Mordecai groaned at the sound of Rigby's voice. His head was pounding and his mind was still scrambling to recall which of his stupid plans had gone wrong this time. Then, all the memories of Mordecai's "alternative life" came rushing back to him. He remembered how lost he had felt without Rigby there. Then, he had a rush of emotion. Suddenly, he couldn't control his body. He jumped up and pulled Rigby into a bone-crushing bear hug.

"Dude! You're ok?!" Rigby choked out. Mordecai couldn't tell if it was a question or a statement. "Aw, sick! I guess you're trying to kill me now..."

Mordecai pulled himself away, embarrassed. "Sorry dude, I couldn't help it. Hope that didn't hurt too bad," he apologized "But that place was crazy realistic, you've gotta try it man," he said.

"No way bro!" Rigby protested "That thing is gonna kill me! Skips killed me once already, and I'm not letting it happen again."

The two remembered that Skips was still in the room. They looked his direction in unison, and realized that he had been quietly surveying the situation. Skips noticed that they seemed to be expecting him to speak.

"I guess the machine works," was all he had to offer. He skipped to his bench press and sat down on it. "If you still wanna try it, you can Rigby," Skips told him uncaringly.

"DUDE! You saw what happened to Mordecai, I don't wanna pass out!" Rigby whined "Plus, he's acting all weird now with this hugging and crap. It's freaking me out man," he said to them.

Mordecai didn't give up yet. Rigby was acting like a two-year-old, and he just needed to get serious with him. Mordecai was also still determined to express his appreciation for Rigby somehow.

"Dude, you know that I don't get all emotional with you a lot, and it's not like I need to. You always get how I feel about stuff and we have fun times together. But me and you, well we're best friends. Best friends are like how music is. You know it's always gonna be there for you to get you through tough times, and you kinda forget how significant it is. Sometimes you lose yourself in it and forget that music's a privilege, and sometimes you may not like the song, but music will always be there unconditionally when you need to get away from everyone else and just enjoy yourself. My life would be empty without you. Now that I see that, I totally get how important you are to me and I never wanna take you for granted. But that's only because of the machine over there. Using that thing not only gave me a newfound appreciation for you and everything around me, it changed my outlook on life. You might not get this, but I could never make it without you around to get me through the day. And if passing out for five minutes is the price I have to pay for that, I'd do it any day of the week. I guess where I'm going with this is, get over there and use that machine right now or I'll never give you player one again!"

Rigby was touched. He couldn't even find his words at first. He wee ally wasn't used to this emotional and deep stuff. "Dude, I know I can be obnoxious and ungrateful, but I can't even imagine myself without my best bro right here with me. Thanks." He smiled, then added on, "But seriously, keep your hugs to yourself from now on."

The two laughed for a second and gave eachother a small smile. Their little moment was interrupted by Skips "So are you gonna use the freaking machine or not, Rigby. I haven't got all day you know," the yeti impatiently snapped.

Rigby thought for a second, and finally replied. "Yeah dude, I guess I will. Hook me up."

The three walked over to the computer, and Rigby was about to ask Mordecai what it would be like and if it'd hurt, but the blue jay spoke first.

"Ok, I'm not gonna give away anything good, but don't panic when you go in. Also, don't forget about this life." It only made things more confusing, but Rigby just shook it off.

The little raccoon sat down in front of the monitor and stuck his finger into the smallest hole. Just as expected, he typed in MORDECAI on the keyboard. Right before everything began to fade away, he turned and flashed the one he'd soon be forgetting a quick smile. He prepared for a potentially rough experience, kinda expecting to pass out right now. Then, everything melted away.

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**Whew, that was a frustrating chapter. You guys have no idea how difficult Mordecai's little speech was! Sorry if this was too short and gut-wrenchingly terrible. **

**There are a couple directions I could go with this story, so if you're actually interested in the turnout of the story, message me! You could really impact my decision! Plus I love the support/(constructive) criticism!**

**Don't forget to review**


	4. Addicted

**So yeah. I mentioned on a one-shot that school started, so obviously my updates are restricted now. I'm sorry if it takes a long time, but I don't wanna put out chapters like this where I didn't get enough time to work on them too much. Before I was dishing out chapters and docs like crazy and I just can't keep that up. Anyways, I tried my best and I hope you enjoy!**

**Review this Godammit**

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Rigby was confused. He had already forgotten everything before the alternate world had appeared before him. Where was he? Who was he? Why was everything blank?

As the colors were splashed back on to the canvas of the world around him, everything began to return to Rigby. Yeah..he knew who he was. But, why did he just think everything was blank? Must've been a side effect, or another blackout. He came to next to a trashcan in a familiar grassy picnic area at the only park in town. Immediately he began to dig.

As he processed through the garbage, Rigby considered his choices for where to sleep tonight. He didn't have any friends to stay with, and his family wanted nothing to do with him of course. He could always stay on a park bench, but he'd have to get up early before that fat green dude and his pet ghost chased him out of the place. No, he'd have to worry about where he was staying later. It was an issue to be dealt with only once it actually presented itself.

The raccoon had barely broken the surface level of trash when he heard an angry voice from behind him. He bolted his head back, only to see a familiar sight.

"HEY YOU! WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING!" Came a shout, accompanied by a furious gumball machine. Great, the park manager again.

Rigby made a break for the park exit with the angry manager in pursuit. He dodged a few couples and a family with a dog skillfully. The gumball machine-Benson?-was a quick one though. He nearly caught him more than once. As he stumbled out onto the street, now safely out of park property, he heard one last scream. "AND DON'T COME BACK, YOU FILTHY SCAVENGER!"

Rigby sighed. The sky was painted as if with water colors on a beautiful canvas, oranges bleeding into dark rich purples as the sun sunk into the horizon. Well, now was as good a time as any to find somewhere to sleep. But Rigby still had one last chore for the day.

Pulling the black hoodie he had been wearing all day over his head, the dark-eyed figure slunk into the shadows of an ally off of a side road on the outskirts of town. This particular event would be tough to talk his way through. He took a breath to calm himself, silently trying to lighten his own mood by thinking about how cliché and sketchy this deal would look. He still couldn't make himself smile.

A figure appeared on the other end of the dark ally, trailed by two slightly larger figures. All three were wearing similar hoodies to the small raccoon opposite to them. The two parties approached each other cautiously.

"You got the stuff, man?" Inquired Rigby, sounding unusually malicious.

"Depends. Do you have the money? Don't forget you owe me double for last time," replied the hooded figure. Rigby thought again about how cliché this looked. This time, he did get himself to smile. A little too hard.

The hooded men were puzzled by the small raccoons childish outburst of laughter. Was he already on stuff before the deal? Was he mocking them? Whatever it was, they were angry.

"Hey man, I ain't got time for this," the leader spoke again "If you're gonna call us here for a deal and treat it like a game, then you've got something coming for you." The figure raised a hand and flicked it forwards, signaling for the two larger figures to advance. The smile ran away from Rigby's face.

Rigby anticipated someone to pull a gun on him, but these guys did it old school. One lunged at him without any warning at all. As he neared the small animal, a sillhouette of his face was visible. Rigby saw a large scar running semi-circular from his eye to his mouth. This man clearly had been in many fights.

With the bulky man still coming at him very speedily, Rigby contemplated his options. In situations like this, he always felt as if everything was in slow motion as he could think quickly and logically at these times. He rapidly decided on a couse of action, ducking and throwing a punch upwards to the groin as the man flew over him. It was a move he had learned watching wrestling with Morde-no wait, a move he taught himself. The man flew into a pile of boxes behind him and didn't stir.

The next guy was leaner and better equipped, wielding a long switchblade. He stood and waited for Rigby to attack first, clearly understanding Rigby's insane reaction speed.

The raccoon roundhouse kicked the switchblade out of the thug's hand and took advantage of his shock to throw some punches at his stomach. The guy crumpled to the ground and moaned in pain. Classic move on a better equipped enemy. Rigby took a step back and admired his work. At least he was good for something.

Finally it was the ringleader's turn. However, he was clearly not the fighting type. Why else would he have his henchmen here with him?

"You crazy man! Get the fuck away from me, I ain't getting nowhere near you," shouted the man, turning to dash away from the scene. Rigby decided that he has a good idea there and turned to run off in the other direction before anyone arrived at the scene.

* * *

This was exhausting. Two more hours and still Rigby hadn't found a good place to sleep. He wanted nothing more at this moment than a friend to crash with. He could have a steady job by now with some encouragement. But he had been too lazy to even fill out a job application for the very same park he had been scavenging in earlier that afternoon. He had no motivation.

With no job to fill his time, and no friends to hang out with, Rigby had fallen victim to substance addiction shortly after flunking high school. His family had a zero-tolerance policy for that kinda stuff, and they kicked him to the streets until the day he could get his act together. That day never came.

Rigby went over his life story a hundred times a day, yet still couldn't understand how he had ended up here. He could do really anything he wanted, he was just too damn _lazy_. His eyes were now damp and hot as he longed for someone to call a friend. His legs were growing tired of wandering. Finally, he succumbed to a pile of trash in an allyway behind a coffee shop he loitered in sometimes. Of course the employees hated him there, especially this weird slutty robin and her super-mega-prude mole friend. He returned the feeling to them.

As Rigby stretched himself over the trash, he felt lost in a world of sketches, then whiteness. Yup, definitely side effects again. He closed his eyes, hoping to simply fall asleep and awake to a new world and a new life. A few more seconds and he couldn't help but to wonder if the hallucination was still going on. He opened his eyes and gasped at the sight before him.

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**So yeah. A little rushed, my first fight scene, and stuffs gettin serious in here. Review, enjoy, etc. Thanks!**


	5. Trapped

**So yeah. This is gonna be longer than the planned 5 chapters. Deal. It'll probably be 8 the way I've planned it. Thanks to any loyal fans who actually maintained interest this long! Also this chapter is short. Once again, deal. **

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Chapter 4:Trapped

Rigby blinked. Then he sighed. He did that a lot nowadays. He saw the same sight as he had before falling asleep. He was stuck in the same shitty life he had always known. He wanted out. He thought back to last night

God these hallucinations were beginning to feel realistic. Furthermore, he noticed a twitch developing in his left paw. Rigby needed to get some stuff quickly before he had another breakdown. He stood up to brush himself off and made out for another long day on the streets.

* * *

Mordecai checked his watch once again. It was getting to be a little too long for his liking that Rigby was stuck in that place. Plus the fact that he had been violently jerking around earlier and the fact that Mordecai truly believed that Rigby would not be doing anything good with his life at all without him. He glanced at Skips than to the window. Clouds swirled in dark circles, desperately clinging to eachother before being torn apart again. Winds were visibly picking up and the trees began to sway with the wind. Mordecai couldn't tell if the weather was affecting his mood or it his mood was affecting the weather.

The yeti felt pure anxiety floating around the room. He could feel it emanating from both raccoon and blue jay alike. He was beginning to worry himself, more about the failure of his machine than the well-being of the small mammal. He turned to the blue jay. "Look, I already told you Mordecai," he began "If he's not out in 10 minutes we go after him. He's only been in there 15 minutes longer than you were," the yeti went on "The fact that you've been sitting here worried since he went in isn't good for your health one bit," he finally finished.

"Fine dude, but at least tell me how we're gonna get in there with him," Mordecai commanded with a mix of fear and anger in his voice.

"Easy enough. All we gotta do is stick our fingers in the monitor with him. Since we're joining mid-simulation, we should retain our memories," The larger man explained "Then, to get him out, we have to slowly and carefully bring his memory back to him. Once he realizes who we are all three of us will be brought back."

Mordecai was uncomfertable with this approach. If Rigby was stuck in there, didn't that mean that they could easily become trapped themselves? And what if they went in only to discover Rigby was unsaveable, or worse? Mordecai would never be able to live with himself knowing that he had practically forced Rigby into trying the machine, only to lose him forever.

Mordecai realized that they had been overlooking the simplest solution all along. "Uh...couldn't we just detach his finger from the monitor?" he asked, reaching for Rigby's arm.

"NO YOU FOOL!" Skips grabbed Mordecai's shoulder and yanked him back forcefully "HE'LL LOSE ALL HIS MEMORIES FOREVER!"

Mordecai fell to the floor and landed right on his funny bone. Pain shot through his arm like a bolt of electricity. "What the hell man! You could have just told me to stop!"

"Sorry" Skips responded simply. He was totally unfazed.

"Whatever. But keep your hands off me." Mordecai picked himself up off the ground and turned his attention back to Rigby, watching him silently.

Skips rubbed his forehead stressfully. He knew all Mordecai wanted right now was to rescue his friend from whatever world he was trapped in. He felt bad for keeping him from going to save him, even if Mordecai had no idea how. He made an executive decision.

"Alright. We'll go in now," Skips told Mordecai bluntly. He watched the tall blue jay's face light up. "Ok, all I'm going to tell you at the moment is to be ready for someone who's not Rigby. Also, he won't recognize us, and don't try and explain the situation to him or his subconscience will be locked away forever. Ready?"

Mordecai nodded furiously. He was ecstatic that Skips was finally letting him take action.

"Then let's go," Skips said, motioning to the computer. The two walked over to the computer screen and jammed their fingers into the machine. As everything around them faded to simplistic sketches, Skips couldn't help but to wonder to himself if this was the right course of action, or if he had just screwed all three of them. No, he had to have faith in his decision. This was the right move.


	6. Remembering

**So. New chapter. Review, enjoy, or scream at your computer cause you hate the story so much. Doesn't make a difference to me! :D**

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Chapter 6:Remembering

The glare of the sunlight blinded Rigby as he turned to the sound of clanging garbage cans around the corner. He was in mid-scavenge in a dirty city ally, and was _not_ in the mood to be screwed with. Nothing had seemed to be going his way lately, and he wasn't going to let some loser run him out of an ally. He turned towards the sound, ready to have a total outburst.

The cans clanged again, but this time the breeze carried a voice with it, and one that sounded awfully familiar at that. "Ow! Dude I keep hitting my ankles," it said "Why did it have to take us here of all places! I can't even take a single step without walking on this crap," the mysterious man continued to fuss.

Rigby inched closer to the voices, his curiosity now piqued. He took extra care so as not to make any loud noises or allow himself to become easily visible. He took another step closer and was greeted with the sight of a blue jay and a white yeti arguing.

"Look Mordecai," the yeti began, clearly frustrated by the whiny blue jay "Complaining isn't gonna change where the machine sent us, ok?" Rigby chuckled at this. "And you can stop hiding Rigby, I know you're right there behind the third trashcan from the ally wall." The blue jay-Mordecai was his name?-froze in an obvious state of shock at that last statement. Rigby would have too had he not been so used to sketchy situations like this. But still, how had the yeti been able to identify his hiding spot, and more importantly, how'd it know his name?

As if reading the small raccoon's mind, the beast loudly stated, "I'm Skips. I know everything, in case you were wondering how I spotted you. Also, check your shadows before you try to play the stealth card in the late afternoon." Rigby mentally facepalmed. That was a rookie mistake, and he couldn't risk those. He warily stood up from his shelter behind the large tin barrel, still very much aware that they could be out for him.

The blue jay still had a deer-in-the-headlights look on his face, like the small, dark eyed raccoon was a serial killer or something. Rigby wasn't even sure if he was breathing, and if the small scavenger was capable of caring for another living being he'd be quite worried for him right now.

Rigby was the first to break the burning silence. Cautiously, and just about as politely as he knew how, he asked, "How the fuck do you know who I am you freaks?" The look on the bird's face transitioned from shock to the unmistakeable stare of anguish. What was that all about?

* * *

Mordecai stared at his best friend, and felt the sting of the venomous hostility in his voice. Was this what he would be like without him? Or was this even really Rigby. How could it be the same raccoon that wetted his bed until he was 11, the same raccoon that cried every time his larger, avian companion played punchies with him all the way through high school. He could feel his eyes growing hot, not in sorrow but rather pity. How could anyone let such a cheerful and naïve soul end up so bitter and spiteful.

* * *

Rigby waited for an answer. The yeti just peered at the jay, who returned the glance. It was like they knew something he didn't, or thought they were superior to him. Rigby certainly didn't appreciate it. "Well? Anyone gonna answer the fucking question?"

Finally the white yeti spoke up. "First of all, watch the language or I'll put your skull through the ground." Rigby's eyes widened at this. "Second of all, we need you to help us out with something. Friend of mine told me to come find you for...help," the yeti stated vaguely, and it seemed to Rigby that he himself didn't even know what he was referring to.

Well that explained how they knew his name. Rigby sure wished people would stop sending friends to him to do their dirty work. He needed cash though, and he figured he could charge or mug the pair later (although hopefully he wouldn't have to go up against the muscular yeti).

"Sure, I can help you guys out. What do you need? A deal?" Rigby said to them. Immediately after agreeing to assisting them, he realized that he shouldn't be trusting them so easily. Yet somehow, he felt...safe around them.

The yeti, Skips, cast a sideways glare towards his still motionless and mute friend, willing him to speak up. The blue jay was starting to stir up suspicion in Rigby, and the yeti seemed to be catching on. The bird was probably on something though. How else could he have ended up here with the infamous raccoon?

Suddenly, the jay snapped to attention and caught up with the situation. "Uh yeah, that's exactly what we need." The tone in his voice was one of someone playing along with something and rather unconvincing. Rigby just shrugged it off.

"I can get my revolver from one of the allys I like to sleep in, if you want me to," he told them. For a second they stared blankly, then it dawned on them.

"Wait...you're?...I..." The blue jay stammered.

"I'm what?" Rigby retorted with annoyance, although he knew the answer. Whoever had referred them to him should have remembered to tell them he was homeless, or they should at least have been able to infer.

The yeti decided to pipe up. "Ignore him, he's just a little oblivious sometimes. Kind of happens to all us park workers for some reason," the beast quickly interjected. Suddenly, at the mention of the park, a bolt of pain split through Rigby's head.

"AAAHH," he screamed, clutching and tugging the fur on his forehead. He could hear nothing but the rushing blood in his throbbing head. Everything was slowly fading to dark-no wait, sketches?

Now Rigby could smell everything he had ever caught the scent of. He could heae familiar voices all speaking at once, things he had heard before. Names flashed through his head, one popping up over and over again: Mordecai. Rigby was experiencing every memory he had ever had at once. The last thing he saw before it became too much to bear and he passed out was a blue jay rushing to his side to catch him.

Then it was black.

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**Oooooookk. I hated writing that and I had to redo it like 6 times and change whole chunks of the chapter at least twice. It sucks anyways, who am I kidding. But we're all here to work on our writing and develop and learn, right? (Right.)**

**I hope I'm not disappointing anyone with how the story's going or anything, I'm trying my best but I really wanna get this over with soon to move on to a few big stories I have planned for a while, but there is nothing I hate more than an author who finishes a story up too soon just cause their sick of it. Actually, this story may seem a little rushed, but that's because it's been giving me major writer's block. **

**So with that in mind, see ya next update!**


	7. Memories

**Important note: I get that this whole story has kinda been jumpy. Each chapter was supposed to be kinda it's own little story with one recurring storyline. I'm not super big on strict plot-following on casual writing websites like fanfiction, mostly cause my writing style can be a little freeform. But I do think that in serious works that it can be an essential skill. Anyways...**

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Chapter 7:Memories

"AAAAHHHH," Rigby screamed once again. He rubbed his throbbing forehead with eyes shut tight. He angrily spat out a long string of swears that would awe even the toughest gang member before getting to the point.

"Why the shit would you let me into that machine you fucking retards!" He screamed in no particular direction. He fumed as he waited for an answer. There was no response.

"Okay, okay, I know you hate swears Skips," he said, toning it down a little and still not opening his eyes "But can you please not give the silent treatment to the guy that just almost freaking died?" He asked, expecting an actual response this time, if not from Skips then Mordecai. Mordecai! Where was that pesky bird, he was ready to give him a piece of his mind for forcing him into that machine! Rubbing his head and groaning, Rigby stood up and finally pried his eyes open. What awaited him shocked him into silence.

Rigby was alone at a crossroad. But this was most definitely not your average crossroad. No, this place was surreal, it was frightening, it was beautiful, it was horrible. Rigby was at a crossroads between memories.

The road beneath his feet seemed to be floating, and the dark emptiness above and below went on for what appeared to be eternity. A tall, blank sign stood beside him. The roads were made of a deep purple glass substance, but the material also could have easily been rock. Rigby had never seen it before and as he took a step forward, he noticed his feet sink in and leave an imprint like memory foam. _What is this stuff_, he thought to himself. _And where did Mordecai and Skips go..._

There were roads going in two directions. One road led to what appeared to be his hometown. Rigby shuddered at the thought of returning to his anti-social and underachieving childhood. The other road led to the only other place he had ever known or been to in his life: the city.

As Rigby carefully and gently made his way down the winding purple road to the city, he began to understand how this place worked.

The roads had evolved to match those of the city (although still made of the same glassy material), and he began to recognize some of the places he'd been to.

He walked by the movie theatre/stadium ticket booth, where overlapping scenes were playing out of him and Mordecai taking some concert tickets from a giant coffee bean, and the pair with Margaret and Eileen eating chili dogs outside the movie theatre before their "double date". Mordecai 1 was screaming at the coffee bean, and Mordecai 2 was saying something about how good the chili dog tasted. Rigby noticed out of the corner of his eye Mordecai leaning over to pick up a chili dog off the ground. He could smell that horrid stench from all the way over here. _Still can't believe he actually ate that,_ he thought.

As Rigby came nearer to the park, he noticed that there were more and more translucent Mordecais and Rigbys, and even a few Musclemans and Hi-Five ghosts whizzing by him, always with a golf cart wheel in one hand and a soda in the other. Each memory-that was what he had begun to refer to the ghostly past selves as in his head-seemed oblivious to the others there with them. The park gates were within Rigby's sight now.

Rigby slowly stepped through the gates, extremely apprehensive that something would go wrong as things had been eerily quiet so far (apart from the idle chatter of the memories). Of course, with his luck, something did go very wrong. The ground trembled behind him violently, throwing the small raccoon to the ground. He looked back behind him. "Shit!" He shouted, panic setting in.

In the distance, buildings had began to crumble as if an earthquake was shaking them to shreds. The crumbling seemed to begin with the city outskirts and was closing in towards the park rapidly. Rigby dashed further into the heart of the grassy park, where all seemed to be calm. As he sprinted full-throttle through the park, Rigby passed by hundreds on hundreds of hard-working Mordecais, slacking Rigbys, and screaming Bensons. He tried to process how many hundreds of hours they had spent out here working their asses off in the hot sun.

As the house came into view, Rigby took a single glance behind him. The path was now crumbling mere dozens of feet behind him! Rigby sprinted harder, wondering if he would be safe in the house.

Rigby flung the front door open, passing right through all the Mordecais and Rigbys going in and out of the house like a spirit. He professionally thrust himself around the corner and up the stairs the way he had so many times before. The halls were denser with memories here than any other place yet. Rigby finally arrived at his destination, and hopefully a safe haven from the destruction outside.

As Rigby threw open the door to his room, he couldn't help but to feel sick to his stomach. There were so many memories here so densely packed into one location that he couldn't even see anything but a big mocha and sky blue blur. He heard thousands of variations of the same two voices trying to speak over eachother, resulting in a loud hum that resonated throughout the room. The stench of sweat from a hard day's work times a thousand was putridly amplified so much, that Rigby could taste it. The ground rumbled hard, nearly throwing the tiny raccoon to his knees.

No, this wasn't where he needed to be. But if this wasn't safe, was anywhere? Rigby didn't have time to think about this as he flew back down the stairs and once again flung the doorway open again ready to burst out into the park. But instead, he stopped dead in his tracks and gaped.

The entire park was gone. Or the side of the park in front of the house anyways. Rigby once again found himself without enough time to stop and try and comprehend it, and this time his quick thinking saved his life as the ground broke away just as he jumped away. He sprinted out through the living room and to the back door in the kitchen, feeling like he had broken the sound barrier, or at least several world records with his speed. He only had one place left in the park he could think to go.

Rigby continued to pass memories, but now they seemed quieter and scarcer, as if they knew something grave was going to happen. The whole atmosphere was dark and scary. As he neared his new destination, he noticed a glowing golden light. _Oh god I hope that means I made the right choice coming here, _Rigby thought to himself.

Skips' shack door was lying wide open and, for the first time since he had arrived at the park, Rigby couldn't find a single memory in sight. Golden light poured out the windows and flooded Rigby as he shot in, still totally freaking. The ground that had been continuing to crumble just behind him abruptly stopped at the entrance. The shack floated alone in sudden peace and silence.

Rigby stopped to catch his breath and to take a sigh of relief. He was safe for now, and alone too. Finally steadying his breathing, he looked up to see what was bathing everything in that wonderful golden light of an angel. He was greeted with exactly the sight he had expected.

The machine that had gotten him into this mess was going to get him out. This time though, there was only one hole on the monitor, giving off a come of golden light. The one that fit Rigby's finger.

As he edged his way over to it, he couldn't help but to feel slightly nervous about what he was prepared to do. He was shaking like a leaf. Last time he had used this machine he had ended up in this situation. But he knew this was the only way out. Taking one last deep breath to steady himself, Rigby closed his eyes and jammed his finger into the hole.

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**Ha haha hahaha hahahahahaha this is so much longer than I had wanted it to be, but whatever. I also planned to go in a COMPLETELY different direction, but I rather like how this turned out (despite all the filler). It is just a little underdeveloped I'll admit, but honestly I put my heart into it and I think I did a pretty good job.**

**Btw, you're all wicked lucky that I had enough time these last few days to proofread and put this out so quickly.**

**Review it.**


	8. Back Home

**This is the last chapter, and wow. Just the fact that 1,298 people have even done so much as clicked the link to my story is awesome! Love you guys, keep on reading!**

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Chapter 8: Back Home

Rigby's eyes shot open. Mordecai fell backwards. Skips caught Mordecai. Margaret dropped her water. Muscleman hi fived Hi-Five Ghost. Eileen hugged Rigby. Benson slapped Rigby. Thomas stepped back.

"Rigby, you're ok!" Eileen shouted.

"HOW COULD YOU!" Benson screamed at Rigby, louder than anyone had ever heard him scream before. "WE THOUGHT YOU WERE DEAD!"

They were in the park living room, and everyone was huddled in a circle around Rigby. They all looked like they had just seen a ghost.

"Uh guys," Rigby tentatively began "Someone wanna explain exactly what happened just now?" He asked, not sure what to expect.

"YOU STOPPED BREATHING FOR OVER 10 MINUTES YOU FREAK ITS A MIRACLE THAT YOU'RE STILL ALIVE" Benson screamed in fury. His eyes looked a little glassy, but more apparent was his fury and the crimson that engulfed his face.

"Uh Benson, let's take a deep breath here," Margaret told him "C'mon, why don't you follow me out here. Let's go," she guided him outside and he succumbed quietly, all the energy seemingly having been sucked from him.

"Well looky there," Skips said "Looks like our pal actually does have a heart somewhere in there," he chuckled.

Rigby stared at him blankly. He took in his surroundings. He was lying on the couch, and Mordecai had been leaning over him before he fell. Skips was right next to Mordecai and Eileen had pushed her way onto Rigby, enveloping him in a hug. Muscleman and HFG were arguing in their own little corner of the room and Thomas was standing awkwardly off to the side. "I'm still a little unclear as to what just happened guys..."

"Oh yeah, that" Skips said nonchalantly. "Well, after you regained your memory, you me and Mordecai were back in my house. But you wouldn't wake up, and you stopped breathing. You kept murmuring about memories and we were worried. We carried you down to the house and called up everyone to see you and figure out what was up."

"Wow. Um, I don't know what to say. Thanks. How long was I out?" Rigby asked, uncomfortably trying to edge away from the mole digging herself into his side.

"About 15 minutes," Skips told him. This caught Muscleman's attention and he stopped arguing with Hi-Fives for a second.

"WOO! See, Skips says it was 15 minutes! I totally won that bet, suck it!" He took off his sweaty shirt an swung it around in circles as he ran out the building whooping, with a ghost hot in pursuit shouting about how he never won anything.

"Wait, I almost died and they were _betting_ on me?!" Rigby shouted, now infuriated.

"Oh Rigby, it doesn't matter. All that matters is that you're ok now," Eileen chimed, burying her face deep in Rigby's fur. He squirmed into the couch.

"Eileen, I can't breathe," managed Rigby as he was squeezed tighter and tighter. Skips watched in amusemt for a few seconds before deciding to finally spare him.

"Come on Thomas, let's drag this psycho away for now," Skips grabbed Eileen's waist and lifter her away from the trembling raccoon. He walked out the room with Thomas following. That left two in the room.

Mordecai had been eerily quiet during this whole ordeal. He had been watching silently from where he sat on the ground. Seeing Rigby wake up had startled him at first, but all he could feel now was relief. He wanted to say something, but knew he had to wait for the raccoon to explain first. He stared at Rigby and waited for something to happen.

Rigby looked at Mordecai. Why wasn't he saying anything? Was he ok? Oh god, he had so much to say to him. He wanted to let everything out at once, but found himself at a total loss of words. He stared at Mordecai and waited for something to happen.

It was Mordecai who spoke first. He asked Rigby what no one had thought to ask yet.

"Are you ok dude?"

Rigby laughed, the tone of the room suddenly becoming a little lighter. "Of course I'm ok!" Mordecai stared at him with a confused look on his face. "I survived! I beat the streets, I beat the memories (Mordecai was only more confused at this part), and I survived to tell the story. I'm awesome!"

Mordecai laughed. "Well I'm glad you're ok, man. I saw your other life. It looked tough and I'm glad you came out ok."

"Thanks man," Rigby smiled. "I-" he began, but then paused to shift himself to an upward position and awkwardly rub his arm. "I'm glad I have you dude." Mordecai was puzzled by this part. "I mean, I know it's obvious and it doesn't need to be said, but you keep me going a lot of the time, and you deserve to know. You're an awesome friend."

Mordecai smiled wide and stood up. "You too bud. I'm glad we have eachother in our lives," he said. "Wanna go play video games?"

"Is that even a question?" They both laughed a bit, then let it die down.

"By the way," Rigby said. "I could totally live on the streets! I'm surprised I didn't run my own gang!"

"Psh, yeah" Mordecai joked sarcastically. "Totally."

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**Welp, that's the end! I hope you guys enjoyed! I'll be posting new/other works soon, so check back! Thanks for reading my first fanfic!**


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